2 February 2024
In 2022, Southeast Asia emerged as a digital powerhouse with a staggering 460 million internet users, including 100 million who joined the online world in the past three years. However, this digital transformation has brought both opportunities and challenges, particularly concerning the rising tide of misinformation and disinformation fueled by social media and emerging artificial intelligence technologies.
Recognising the urgent need to address this growing threat to societal stability, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been actively engaging with educators in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Their mission is to equip students with the crucial skills of media literacy and critical thinking necessary to navigate the complex digital landscape.
In collaboration with the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Education, USAID initiated a region-wide “Training-of-Trainers program to Counter Disinformation and Promote Media Literacy: Educator’s Toolkit.” This initiative acknowledges the role of academia in preparing the youth for 21st-century challenges.
The Educator’s Toolkit developed through consultations with key stakeholders in education, youth, information, and media sectors across ASEAN member states, provides essential curriculum materials. It equips educators with theoretical and practical knowledge to teach students media literacy, counter disinformation, and critical thinking skills. This open resource is designed to be adaptable to different educational contexts.
Over 50 educators and curriculum officers from across ASEAN have completed the training, enhancing their capabilities to integrate media literacy and counter-disinformation into their institutions’ curricula. Several educators who completed the mid-2022 training have already reached hundreds of students and fellow educators through classes and online webinars, utilising resources they co-created in local languages.
To amplify the impact, in early 2023, the ASEAN-USAID Prospect collaborated with AsTen to target institutions responsible for training current and future teachers. This collaborative effort signifies a commitment to creating a robust defence against misinformation and empowering the youth with the necessary tools to thrive in the digital era.
